HappyMac Digital Electronics

04/17/2026

Due to the heavy storm forecasts for this evening, we will be closing early so our staff can get home safe and not have to drive in the weather.

We will be closing at about 4:00PM today.

04/14/2026

Should you save your passwords?

This is a common question we get. Is it safe to save your passwords when your web broser asks?

With anything on computers, it's always a quesstion of compromise. Saving passwords creates convenience but at the same time creates (or shifts) risks involved.

When it comes to saving passwords on your Apple devices, we generally recommend YES. This saves passwords in the passwords app, which syncs across your devices.

This has some obvious advantages.

1. Saved passwords are automatically filled in when you go to a website. Obviously, this is more convenient, as you don't need to remember your password, or need to type it in every time you visit a site.

2. When you save your passwords, the Password app on the mac will check those passwords and recommend action if there are securtiy concerns. The most common is the saved password has been part of a security leak. That's a clue for you to change your password IMMEDIATELY. It will also check if you re-use passwords on multiple websites. This is a risk because if a password compromised on a single website, scammers that have access will try it on other sites. A different password for each site limits the potential damage. Of course, remembering different passwords is challenging, so having them saved is easier.

3. Using saved passwords exclusively prevents you from typing in your password on a fake website. These days it's relatively easy to create fake websites that might look legitimate. For example, a scammer could make a fake website that looks exactly like your bank website. If you type in your password manually, you can easily be fooled into giving out your password. The password app won't be fooled, and will not fill in the password. 2 factor authentication helps, but that too can be fooled, as if you put in your password, it can trick you into putting in the 2 factor code to proceed.

The risk of saving your passwords is if your device does get compromsied. Fortunately, this is relatively rare compared to other risks. The best bet is to make sure you have 2 factor authentication enabled whenever you can and make sure your Apple Account password is unique and secure.

03/31/2026

The FCC recently has announced that it will ban all foreign made routers due to concerns that they could be used to route traffic and information to foreign countries.

All future routers must be made in the USA, or get a special exemption to use foreign components with enhanced scruity to make sure they can't be used by foreign actors to compomise personal networks.

This is pretty interesting, and will certainly cause a shakeup in the products available in the next couple of years.

This doesn't mean your existing router will immediately stop working, but it also means your existing router won't get any more firmware updates, and as such if any security flaws are discovered, your only option will be to replace the device.

It has long been suspected that some routers have built in secret back doors that can be accessed by the vendors. Obviously, this is quite a major concern, especially in the home market where most people don't have the skillset to see what data is being sent to where.

Since your router is such an important piece of your home network's security, it's a good idea to regularly make sure that you update your device. We recommend replacing routers as soon as the vendor drops support for your existing model. (Usually every 3-5 years)

What is the FCC's Covered List? What restrictions does it impose on "covered" equipment on the List?The FCC’s Covered List is a list of communications equipment and services that are deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the U.S. or the safety and security of U.S. persons...

03/13/2026

Are you still using an old router because you don't think there's any reason to upgrade? You might want to check. If your router is no longer supported and getting updates from the manufacturer, it may be a good idea to replace it with a current model.

With older models, hackers can find security holes to exploit the router. You won't see anything directly, other than maybe your internet is running slower than you expect at times. But, if the hackers take over your device, they can route traffic through it and as a result potentially tie your internet connection to illegal activities.

Keeping up with the latest security updates on your device is best practice, as long as the manufacturer is still updating it. Most manufactuers support their devices for 2-7 years, depending on models, price points, etc. If your router is more than 7 years old, replacing it is probably a good idea.

This is an example of a major hack that has impacted thousands of devices. This particular hack is being shut down, but there are plenty more out there. The scary nature of this hack is that it's all contained within the router. Security software installed on your computer would have no idea that your connection is compromised.

SocksEscort sold proxy services on the open web, but was actually routing traffic through compromised routers and internet-connected devices.

03/05/2026

SmartTVs are incredibly cheap, and many people use them now as computer monitors. However, you may want to reconsider that practice if you do.

Part of the reason the TVs can be so cheap is that manufactuers monitor your watching habits and sell that information to advertisers.

When you're not using the streaming services of the TV some will go as far as to send screen shots of what you have on the TV for analaysis back to the company. While this may seem relatively harmless if you have your blue-ray player attached to your TV, it gets a little scarier when you're connected to your computer. Anything on your screen is now visible to the manufacturer. This can include private information, such as bank accounts, confidential work documents, etc.

While many TVs will have a setting to turn off the feature (which is given many different names) not all do. And even if you DO turn it off, some may still send the info anyway.

The best bet if you're using a smart TV as a monitor is to make sure to NOT connect it to the internet in any way ever. Even if you disconnect while it's connected to your computer, the monitor may cache that data and send it anyway once it gets an internet connection.

While we haven't found any reports of this data being compromized directly, it's just one more security concern you should be aware of.

Samsung, LG TVs screenshot every 10ms 2025. ACR tracks everything. Data sent from external devices. Vizio, Samsung, LG spy. How to stop TV surveillance.

07/04/2025

Happy Independence Day!

05/15/2025

Cellcom is having outages today. This outage effects voice calls and text messages.

Cellcom reports an outage affecting voice calls and SMS text messaging started Wednesday night.

01/28/2025

Computer not working as it should? Visit our website or give us a call to get it looked at!

11/28/2024

Stop in this Friday for some exclusive Black Friday deals! Only this Friday!

09/30/2024

Verizon Customers: It does appear that Verizon has been having outages in their service nationwide. Verizon is working on restoring service to the affected customers as soon as possible.